I simply completed a 75-day biking vacation in Scandinavia… and of these 75 days in northern Europe, I spent a full 52 days in Norway. I had heard that the Scandinavia international locations of Sweden and Denmark had been costly, however I had additionally been informed that Norway was by far the most costly place to stay, world and journey in all of Scandinavia.
As a result of I used to be planning to be in Norway for thus lengthy, I used to be somewhat fearful about touring there – I used to be afraid of how a lot my journey may cost me. However now that I’ve spent virtually two entire months touring within the nation, I can inform you that Norway isn’t practically as costly as everybody makes it out to be. In truth, I used to be in a position to journey by Norway (and Scandinavia as a complete) for lower than $20 USD per day!
Right here’s a fast breakdown of my journey bills in Norway:
Meals: 3,894 NOK – ($457 USD)
Ferry Tickets: 1,156 NOK – ($136 USD)
Prepare Tickets: 633 NOK – ($74 USD)
Bicycle Prepare Tickets: 388 NOK – ($46 USD)
Bus Tickets: 380 NOK – ($36 USD)
Museum Tickets: 165 NOK – ($19 USD)
Toiletries: 107 NOK – ($13 USD)
Ultimately, my journey bills in Norway price me simply 6,723 NOK… or about $799 US {Dollars}. Divide that by the 52 days I spent within the nation and I used to be spending solely $15.36 USD per day. That’s even lower than the whole quantity per day I spent in Scandinavia (which was nearer to $19 USD per day).
Now that you understand how little it price me to journey in Norway, you’re in all probability questioning how I did it. To elucidate, let’s shortly break down the journey bills listed above.
Meals
Meals was by far my largest expense in Norway. On many days, meals was truly my solely expense. As a result of I used to be primarily touring alone and doing my greatest to maintain my journey bills as little as doable, I shopped principally on the native supermarkets (Rema 1000, Rimi and Kiwi) and infrequently ate at sit-down eating places. After I shopped for myself, my common price of meals for the day was between $7 and $15 USD. However after I ate at native eating places, I’d normally find yourself paying in extra of $25 USD for a single meal.
So, there’s my first huge tip for saving cash in Norway: store on the low cost grocery store and put together your individual meals every time doable.
Ferry Tickets
As quickly as I hit the west coast of Norway, I started leaping on a daily succession of ferry boats. Getting round by ferry just isn’t solely handy in Norway, it’s typically the one strategy to get from one vacation spot to the following. Fortunately, the ferry boats in Norway weren’t practically as costly as I assumed they could be.
As a result of I used to be touring both on foot or by bicycle, I used to be in a position to keep away from the bigger ferry charges you may encounter when touring with a automobile and was in a position to pay far much less for my ferry tickets. Throughout my time in Norway I paid for 9 completely different ferry crossings, which price me 154, 20, 68, 48, 109, 650, 29, 44 and 34 NOK every. The lower-cost ferries had been normally brief rides lasting not more than half-hour they usually price $2.50 – $8.00 USD every. The longer ferry rides (30-90 minutes) price a bit extra – someplace between $13.00 – $77.00 USD for every ferry trip.
The most cost effective ferries in Norway are those that permit you to cross with automobiles. The extra crowded the ferry boat is, the cheaper the tickets normally are. The costliest ferries are the smaller, express-boat ferries, which transport solely pedestrians and folks on bicycles. For those who’re attempting to economize, take the bigger automobile ferries and keep away from the small express-boats!
Prepare Tickets
Whereas touring in Norway, I traveled by practice on 4 separate events. My round-trip practice ticket between Oslo and Bergen was by far the most costly practice ticket I bought (at $75 USD for the round-trip ticket), however I needed to pay an additional 388 NOK ($46 USD) to take my bicycle on the practice with me. I took two different brief practice rides in Norway whereas I used to be there – every one costing me not more than $30 USD.
Purchase your tickets prematurely should you can. The trains settle for bank cards on board, however you ought to be carrying some money with you, simply in case!
Bus Tickets
Getting round by bus is by far the most cost effective possibility (subsequent to touring round on foot or by bicycle). Bus tickets in Norway price me 165, 50 and 165 NOK every. The most cost effective ticket was about $6 USD… and the most costly (a 2-hour bus trip from Bergen to Matre and again) was $20 USD per path.
If I had been to return to Norway once more (as a backpacker or anybody hoping to get round for affordable), I’d actually look into doing extra of my travels on the bus. There are buses operating in huge and small cities/cities throughout Norway. The bus system is extremely properly organized and it’s much more reasonably priced than I had initially imagined.
Different Bills
Regardless of the place you journey on the earth, there are all the time a couple of sudden bills that are inclined to pop up. For me, my extraneous bills in Norway included a visit to an area museum, the price of some new toiletries, and some different associated journey bills. Ultimately, these additional journey bills solely added a couple of additional NOK/{Dollars} to the whole price of my travels in Norway.
The Actual Secret To Saving Cash Whereas Touring In Norway
Do you wish to know the actual secret to touring in Norway for such a small amount of cash?
The way in which I used to be in a position to journey for 52 days in Norway and spend solely $15 USD per day is by touring on a bicycle.
As an alternative of getting round on daily basis on a bus, practice, boat or automobile, I trip my bicycle from one location to the following. As an alternative of paying to sleep in a lodge or hostel every night time, I sleep without spending a dime within the forest on public land (one thing that’s each authorized and inspired in Scandinavian Norway). And as a substitute of consuming out at eating places on daily basis, I store at native low cost supermarkets and put together my very own meals.
If you trip a motorcycle throughout the nation, sleep without spending a dime within the forests and eat solely the most cost effective of meals, then it’s completely doable to journey throughout an costly nation like Norway for as little as $15 to $20 USD per day.
However the fact is, many individuals don’t wish to journey on this means. Most individuals consider journey as a simple, enjoyable trip from their extraordinary lives. This includes taking trains, buses, boats and automobiles – all of which prices cash. This includes consuming out at fancy eating places thrice a day – all of which prices cash. And this normally includes staying in a cushty lodge every night time, sleeping in a heat mattress, and getting access to all of the comforts of residence – all of which prices cash.
For those who’re taken with touring by bike, and don’t thoughts spending somewhat bit to have entry to the comforts of residence (scrumptious meals, every day scorching showers, and a heat mattress to sleep in every night time), contemplate signing up for one among these three self-guided bike excursions.
Self-supported bicycle touring is an unimaginable strategy to journey and see the world. It’s each rewarding and cheap.
In truth, I’ve been touring the world on my bicycle for the final 15+ years… and persons are all the time asking me, “How do you afford to take action a lot touring? Isn’t it costly?”
However the fact is, bicycle journey is affordable. When you learn to keep protected and comfy in your bicycle and sleep in a tent every night time, you’ll be able to journey the world with little or no cash and stay an incredible life, having an extremely vacation, and even journey by among the most costly locations on the planet with out spending very a lot cash in any respect.
Sure, touring in Norway is a little more costly than touring in among the world’s different developed nations. Accommodations, meals, and transportation could be costly.
However should you’re on a price range, you wish to see Norway in a means that’s each intimate and rewarding, and also you wish to spend as little a lot as doable, then contemplate seeing the nation on the again of your bike. CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW. Journey in Norway is affordable while you be taught to journey on a bicycle!
